Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers Predict Driving Decline: Brief Report

J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;58(3):675-680. doi: 10.3233/JAD-170067.

Abstract

We examined whether neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) interact with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers (amyloid-β42 [Aβ42], tau, phosphorylated tau181 [ptau181], tau/Aβ42, and ptau181/Aβ42) of Alzheimer's disease pathology to predict driving decline among cognitively-normal older adults (N = 116) aged ≥65. Cox proportional hazards models examined time to receiving a rating of marginal or fail on the driving test. Age, education, and gender were adjusted in the models. Participants with more abnormal CSF (Aβ42, tau/Aβ42, ptau181/Aβ42) and NPS were faster to receive a marginal/fail on the road test compared to those without NPS. NPS interact with abnormal CSF biomarkers to impact driving performance among cognitively-normal older adults.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cerebrospinal fluid; depression; neuropsychology; noncognitive outcomes; preclinical.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Affect
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alzheimer Disease / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Alzheimer Disease / psychology*
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Automobile Driving
  • Biomarkers / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Peptide Fragments / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Phosphorylation
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • tau Proteins / cerebrospinal fluid*

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Biomarkers
  • MAPT protein, human
  • Peptide Fragments
  • amyloid beta-protein (1-42)
  • tau Proteins